BNP nominates Mirza Fakhrul Islam as Bangladesh President
The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday nominated its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as its candidate for the country’s presidency, setting the stage for his election as the next head of State.
The presidential election will be held on August 20.
The 78-year-old veteran politician resigned as BNP secretary general and from its highest policy-making standing committee after being nominated, senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced. “It is with great pleasure that I announce on behalf of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party that our dedicated secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, has become the BNP’s presidential candidate,” he said. The nomination was announced after a meeting of senior BNP leaders with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who is also the party chairman, at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
Under the Election Commission’s schedule, Alamgir was required to submit his nomination papers by 4:00 pm on Thursday. Bangladesh’s main opposition Jamaat-e-Islami has also fielded the party-led alliance partner Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad. Ahmad has already submitted his nomination papers to the Election Commission.
The presidential election comes after former president Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24, citing serious health problems, about two years before the end of his term. He was a longtime ally of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Under the Constitution, a new president is required to be elected within 90 days of the office falling vacant.
Parliamentary Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is currently serving as acting president, as required under the Constitution following a vacancy in the office. The Constitution provides for the president to be elected by Parliament. The BNP, which was voted to power in the February 12 elections, currently commands a two-thirds majority in Parliament, putting Alamgir in a strong position to secure the presidency.
